I Am The Blue Spirit
by Goldenbrook15
Summary: He is a stranger among them, a stranger without a name and a scar across one eye. He is a stranger with a very unique past, a stranger who calls himself the Blue Spirit.
1. I Am The Blue Spirit

****Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. ****

**I Am The Blue Spirit**

Summary: Zuko, instead of saying that he is a prince in the end of _Zuko Alone_ replies with, "I am the blue spirit."

_"__Thoughts"_

"Speaking"

_Memories_

Zuko dodged and ducked around the boulders sent flying his way by the earthbender. He used his swords to block the ones that came to fast for him to dodge, but he was quickly tiring. If this went on much longer he wasn't sure if he would be able to hold out. One of the smaller boulders swept under his guard and hit him hard in his ribs, knocking him on his back.

Zuko wheezed for breath. His ribs felt bruised and he wondered if he should just give up and walk away. It was not his problem in the first place, after all.

_"__But you gave Lee the knife and that's why they have him,"_ a traitorous voice in the back of his head whispered.

_"__I didn't tell him to use it on the soldiers!"_ he retorted.

_"__You might as well have. You give a boy a knife, what do you expect to happen!"_

To his right Zuko hears a child's voice, Lee's, begging him to get up, to be all right. Zuko feels anger run through him as he thinks of what the soldiers had done to the boy. Before he could let the anger consume him, though, his uncle's voice came back to him from a time just after his banishment, when his anger often clouded his judgment.

_Flashback_

_"__You are special Zuko. You have the ability to think before you act out in anger. Anger is hard to overcome and even harder to defeat. This is why most firebenders use anger and hate to power their fire, for it is almost impossible to stop. But to act out in anger is also dangerous. Anger makes you slip up and do things that__you might regret later, such as yelling at a friend or hurt someone that you didn't mean to," Uncle Iroh said as he sipped is tea and lit the candle in front of him._

_Zuko sighed as his uncle gestured for him to begin meditating again. Sometimes he__really didn't get what his uncle was saying. Anger fuelled fire, without it a fire bender didn't have as powerful fire which could put them at risk._

_Instead of arguing his point Zuko settled into a lotus position and began to meditate. _

_End Flashback_

Blocking out all sounds Zuko closed his eyes and breathed in, held it for five seconds, and breathed out again, thinking over what he had been about to do. If he had acted out in anger his firebending would have come out, which would reveal him to be from the Firenation. In his anger he would have also probably said that he was not only from the Firenation but the fire prince himself.

Things would have gone downhill from their, Zuko knew. The townspeople would have looked at him with fear and revulsion, chasing him out of town. They would not understand, nor listen to reason if he tried to explain his actions.

Why was he doing this? Was it because Lee's mother had asked him to? Maybe, but Zuko felt that it was not the whole reason. Looking back on his emotions Zuko realized that he had been thinking like Lee, the wandering refugee who was without a home or family and had found someone that he could relate to in the younger Lee. He had been fighting with Zuko's anger of being unable to protect his mother.

But he was not just Lee, the refugee, or Zuko, the banished and unwanted prince. He was also the Blue Spirit, master swordsman of the Duel Dao swords, savior of the Avatar from Admiral Zhao, protector of those too weak to defend themselves, one of the most wanted criminals of the Firenation, and thief.

He had been fighting with a refugees mind and a banished prince's anger, but if he wanted to win, he would have to fight with the Blue Spirit's cunning, wit, and skill.

He had been the Blue Spirit long before he rescued the Avatar from Zhao, though he had never done anything before to warrant the attention of the Firenation until after the event. The Blue Spirit mask had been his escape from being a prince. He was the being that wandered the night with silent feet, protecting the late wanderers from getting hurt by the less honorable that would prey on the weak.

Many times he would rid a town they were passing through of a group of gang that was terrorizing the people. Whispers had even started to circulate about a spirit in a blue mask who was helping the people. It always made his smile inwardly when he heard this because he knew that he was at least helping someone, even if he could not help his own people.

He could still remember the first time that he wore the mask and why.

_Flashback_

_Zuko scowled as he looked out over what look to be endless waters. Behind him was the small EarthKingdom__fishing town that they had docked at for supplies. No doubt his uncle was out there buying a load of junk they would have to haul around before Zuko found some way of getting rid of it._

_His uncle was hard to be around, always spouting off strange sayings and asking him to play Pai Sho. It made him mad that the Dragon of the West, one of the most famous firebenders of all time, acted like an old, slightly insane, man._

_Zuko shook his head and turned away from the sun set, fighting back tears. He just wanted to go home. He wanted his honor back, he wanted his fathers love, but deep in his heart Zuko knew that this was impossible. The Avatar had been gone for over a hundred years, what was the chance that he would come out of hiding now?_

_Turning to go below deck Zuko bumped into one of the crew who he had forgotten the name of again. The man was one of the younger recruits who had been shunted to the Prince's ship for misbehaving. He was only a few inches taller then Zuko himself and was carrying a huge box of colorful festival decorations. Zuko scowled at the box and turned back to the man carrying it._

_"__What is that?" he snapped, glaring at the box. _

_The man gulped and shuffled back a step but did not stutter when he answered, "General Iroh bought it, Sr. He told me to bring it on and put it below deck."_

_Zuko contemplated setting the box on fire but decided that it wasn't worth the effort. If his uncle was going to buy something there was no stopping him besides not letting him into port. _

_He turned away and stocked to his room. The door slammed shut behind him and Zuko collapsed into his bed, only to jump back up again when he felt something jab into his back. Frowning, Zuko turn to see a deep blue mask with white outlines sitting on the bed. It was a mask commonly used in festivals. The grinning face and empty eyes stared up at Zuko from its place in the center of the bed. _

_It must have come from the box. Curious, Zuko reached down and flipped the mask around where two straps were sewn to make it easier to keep on. Picking up the mask Zuko fitted it over his face. It almost seemed like the mask was made for him. It was nether too large or too small. _

_With a grin Zuko hid the mask under his bed, deciding to put his sneaking skill to the test that night._

* * *

_The figure dressed in full black and wearing a dark blue mask darted from shadow to shadow, easily slipping from the ship right under the drowsy guard's nose. He moved like a shadow, his feet silent and his breathing nonexistent to normal hearing. Indeed, if any had seen him, which no one had, it would have been like seeing a ghost. _

_As Zuko jumped from rooftop to rooftop he felt a calm come over him that he had not felt since his mother died. The silence of the night brought a peace he thought he had lost. _

_Taking a deep breath he bunched his muscles in preparation for the next jump to a higher roof. He landed silently with a slight bend to his knees and a grin formed behind his mask. He felt so free. Wearing the mask made it possible to forget that he was Firenation, that he was a banished prince unwanted by his father. Here, under the mask, he was just another shadow in the night. _

_After sitting for a wile on the roof, which was the tallest in the town, Zuko got up to go when he heard the faint sound of a scream. He paused, listening. There was another scream, slightly louder but coming from the same direction as the first before it was muffled. _

_An uneasy feeling overcame him and Zuko shifted his feet uncertainly. Should he help? He had to be back at the ship before dawn. With first sunlight so close he was hesitant. It was much harder to sneak around when the sun was chasing the shadows away and a locked door would not hinder his uncle for long. _

_He wavered for a moment, before dashing off after the scream. He could not let someone be hurt just because he was scared of getting caught. _

_His flight over the rooftops brought him to an abandoned ally where a young girl was pressed up against the wall by a larger man. Behind the man were two more, most likely bodyguards. The first man held the girl to the wall with his hand over her mouth to muffle any sounds she might make. The man was large and looked to have several teeth missing when he smiled. His long, shaggy black hair hung down around his face like a wild animal. _

_"__Well, aren't you a pretty catch? What is such a beauty like you wandering around at such a time as this? Don't you know that it's dangerous?" the man taunted with a sneer._

_The young lady, no more then fifteen now that Zuko could see her clearly, whimpered behind the hand and let a few tears leek loose from her eyes. _

_Anger ran through him as Zuko saw her helpless. How could someone do this to another person? It was just plain wrong. Even though he was Firenation, right now that did not matter to him. An innocent person was being hurt and it was his responsibility to help her._

_Observing the two bodyguards Zuko determined that they would not be much of a problem. Though both carried swords they were of poor quality and had several dents in them. If he dropped from the roof of the ally he could take out the first easily, but he would have to move fast if he wished to get rid of the other before he alerted the man they were guarding. _

_Zuko glanced around for a weapon and his eyes landed on a loose tile in the roof. It was heavy when he picked it up and would probably through off his jump a little, but it would work. Taking a deep breath and judging the distances Zuko leaped. The fall seemed to last forever before he hit his target, his feet landing on the man's shoulders and bringing his head down on the stone ground with a crack. Without hesitation Zuko swung the tile at the second guard's head hard. The man crumbled without a sound. _

_Not wasting a moment Zuko darted into some of the darker shadows as the man they had been guarding turned around to scold them for the__noise, only to freeze at the sight of the two crumpled to the ground. _

_Zuko took the man's astonishment as an opening and darted forward. He swung his leg at the man's face, hoping to knock him unconscious but luck was not on his side. The man saw the blow coming and instinctually ducked away. Zuko's foot only just managed to skim the man's jaw. _

_The man staggered away and put his hand to his cheek, letting the girl go in the process. She slumped to the ground with her eyes darting between Zuko and the man, as if deciding which one was the bigger threat. She had seen how he had jumped from seemingly out of nowhere and took out the two guards without hesitation, but he had also attacked the man who was hurting her. _

_The man snarled and reached for his own swords, a set of Dual Dao and swirled them through the air. It was plain to see that he had some training with them and the swords were in good condition. Zuko himself did not have anything to fight with though he had learned the way of the sword himself when he was younger. _

_With an angry yell the man rushed at Zuko who twirled away at the last moment into the shadows. The man spun around, his eyes darting every which way as he searched for his attacker. Zuko knew that the shadows were not as deep as they had been before. The sun was rising, he could feel it, and he new that he had to end this fight fast. _

_The man spotted him in the shadows cornered against the wall and grinned as he ran forward, ready to swing the two blades down on him from each side, but he left himself open. Anger made him careless. Zuko used the wall behind him as a place to spring from as he did a flip over the man, easily plucking the Dao from the mans loose hands as he did so. _

_The man didn't have time to stop before he slammed into the wall, knocking himself out. _

_Zuko looked around and noticed that the young lady he had rescued had vanished sometime during the fight. He glanced down at the swords he now held in his hands and then up at the lightening sky. The swords were good quality even if they weren't that decorative. _

_They were better used for purposes other then threatening people with, anyway, he decided. With a silent chuckle Zuko pulled the swords sheath from the unconscious man's back and slipped it over his own shoulders. _

_Then as suddenly as he had come, Zuko disappeared, using the windowsills to propel himself up and onto the rooftops once again. _

_Zuko had just slipped out of the black cloak and cloths that he had been wearing and into his normal everyday robes when the expected knock came through the door. _

_"__Nephew, are you in there? You've nearly missed breakfast and I must say the cook has made something that smells delicious even from here!"_

_Zuko let a small, almost invisible smile quark up his lips as he hid his new swords under the bed with the rest of his disguise. He was back to being to banished prince, searching for an Avatar long lost in time on board an old, rusted ship with only his uncle and crew for company. _

_"__But", he thought as he slipped out of his cabin and followed his uncle down the hall, "at night when the sun is down, and when the normal people rest . . ."_

_He was the Blue Spirit. _

_Flashback End_

Ignoring the pain in his ribs Zuko opened his eyes, his thoughts only taking up seconds of real time, and rolled to the side to avoid a large bolder being dropped on him. He came up in a crouch, but instead of charging forward like he had before he stopped and observed the earthbender with narrowed eyes.

The earthbender sensed the change in tactics and he too stopped. A sudden nervousness came over the earthbender as he realized that this boy was different then he had been seconds before. Instead of holding himself high and with dignity and with a solid if swift stance, the boy was now hunched slightly, balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to move at any moment. He almost seemed lighter to his earth sense too.

Zuko felt the rumbling beneath his feet just before the attack resumed. He jump and did a forward roll in the air, landing him just a few feet away. The earthbender grabbed his hammer again and prepared to slam it into the ground to give him self more force, but Zuko was ready for that. Years of fighting as the Blue Spirit had giving him clear advantage over a normal opponent: the ability to analyze any fighting style and counteract accordingly.

Before the hammer could reach the ground Zuko had darted forward and sliced upward with the sword in his left hand wile the sword in his right swung down to meet it. The earthbender saw this and had to let go of his hammer or loose his hand.

With the hammer out of the way it was more of a fair fight. The earthbender's earthbending was weaker as he had depended on the extra force of the hammer to enhance his bending.

Zuko was once again back to dodging away from the rock, though they came forward, taking the hammer he had picked up with him and throwing it to the side. As Zuko he had always fought solidly, but as the blue Spirit he had learned that the best way to win an opponent with bending abilities or multiple opponents without was to _dance_.

And indeed it looked like a dance. He spun and twisted, never staying in one place to long. The earthbender, on the other hand had not moved since he had lost his hammer, as a typical earthbender normally did. Zuko was slowly but surly making his way closer to the bender with every rock thrown at him, and with the earthbender so angry, he didn't realize the danger that was knocking at his doorstep.

A rock was thrown directly at Zuko but instead of dodging like the earthbender expected him to he slashed his swords through the rock and kicked forward, his foot hitting solidly in the earthbender's chest.

Startled, the earthbender flew back against the wall and hit his head. Though it didn't knock him out it still dazed him, and when he looked up he could see two glinting swords at his neck. He froze, his eyes darting between Zuko's face to the swords.

"W-who are you?" he stammered, wide eyed.

Zuko was silent for a moment, just letting his gaze unsettle his downed opponent. It was at this point that he registered that everyone else who had been watching had fallen silent, they too were waiting for an answer.

His gaze never leaving the earthbender Zuko replied, his voice soft and dangerous, "I am he who stalks the night. I am he who is one with the shadows. I am he who wields the Dual Dao and wears a mask in the darkness before dawn.

"I am the Blue Spirit."


	2. Prison Break

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender**

**Ok, here's the second chapter. I wasn't actually going to go any farther with this idea but it seems that people really like it so I might as well. Enjoy! **

**I Am the Blue Spirit**

_Previously:_

_"__I am the Blue Spirit."_

**_Chapter 2_**

_Prison Break_

There was a silence as the town leaned back in shock. Lee watched his hero with wide eyes. The Blue Spirit was a local legend. Back when they had more visitors the passing merchants would tell tails of a man in a blue mask that defended those who were innocent. There was even one story brought in a few months back saying that the Blue Spirit had rescued the Avatar from the Firenation.

The earthbender that had been fighting Zuko let out a soft "Eep!" and his eyes rolled into the back of his head in a dead faint.

Zuko blinked in surprise at the reaction, having never realized how far the story of his alter ego had gone.

"Ok . . ."

Zuko pulled the small dagger from the earthbender's belt and flipped it a few times. Ignoring the stares and the silence he walked over to Lee and cut the bindings. Lee looked up at him in aw. Zuko scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"So, I guess you might want this back?" he asked, holding out the dagger.

The boy took the dagger reverently, looking at it and then at him.

"Are you really the Blue Spirit?" Lee asked him.

This seemed to break the silence and suddenly everyone was whispering. Lee's mother was still in shock from realizing that she might have housed a famous hero in her barn. Zuko bowed his head slightly.

"Yes, I am."

Lee grinned widely. "That's so cool! The Blue Spirit stayed at my house for a night!"

Zuko sighed and leaned down to the boy, beckoning him closer, as if to tell him a secret. Lee leaned in eagerly, ready to listen to anything he said.

"Lee, I can't have anyone know that I've been here. You see, the Firenation is out to get me, and if they find out that I've been here they might hurt this village to get to me. You see, that is why I wear a mask, to hide my identity," Zuko purposely didn't lower his voice so that some of the villagers over heard him and understood what he was silently asking. Don't tell anyone, Please.

Lee nodded until it looked like his head was going to fall off. Zuko smiled and ruffled Lee's hair as he stood from his crouched position.

"How do we know you are really the Blue Spirit?" an old man amidst the crowd who had never believed the tails the merchants told called out to Zuko, waving his walking stick in the air.

Zuko glanced at the man and shook his head. He walked over to his ostrich-horse and dug around in his pack until he found the hard wooden mask which still had a chip in it from where the arrow had hit him when he went to rescue the Avatar. He pulled it out of his bag and turned to the old man.

"Is this proof enough?"

The old man was silent, his eyes locked on the grinning face of the mask. Behind Zuko, Lee looked at the mask in amazement.

"You're really real!" Lee exclaimed, his eyes locked on the mask.

Zuko razed an eyebrow, "Oh, really?" he retorted with a smile, "Who would have thought, right? I'm standing here, flesh and bones and all, after all."

Lee blinked at him, uncomprehending for a moment before he giggled. Zuko smiled again and turned back to his ostrich-horse, which he still had to name, when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down he saw one of the younger children that hadn't approached him before with his mouth open to ask a question. He paused.

The child gulped as he noticed Zuko's golden eyes on him, but pushed on, "Did you really rescue the Avatar from the Firenation Mr. Blue Spirit Sr.?"

Zuko blinked in surprise. Had that story gotten all the way out here already? That had only been a few months ago! Shaking his head at the impossibility of it Zuko quirked his lips upwards in a slight smirk.

"That kid should really pay attention to priorities. I mean, seriously, what's up with the half frozen frogs? We were in the middle of an escape!" the last part was muttered so softly only a few people could hear it, but those who did glanced at each other in confusion. Frozen Frogs?

Zuko mounted and was already off before anyone else could stop him. He really didn't need anymore questions at the moment. With the town behind him and the setting sun in front, Zuko couldn't help but feel a little bit of hope for the future. Maybe he could not be accepted as a prince, but the Blue Spirit was a hero.

As Zuko's mind wandered he came to the conclusion that since his father didn't want him home anyway, he might as well use his time out here to get back at the Firenation for what they had done to him. And if he was doing that, it meant that he didn't have to chase the Avatar anymore because they were on the same side.

That and maybe he could find Lee's older brother. It would be nice for a family to be reunited again, even if his own never could.

A small smile spread over his lips. Maybe, he could finally be free.

0~o~0

The prison camp was silent. All of the prisoners had already been herded to their separate cells, and the guards had relaxed as the night wore on like any other night, undisturbed. Unknown to the watchers, however, they were being watched.

A man, or what looked to be a man, was hidden deep in the shadows of the brush that scattered the countryside. His cloths were a deep black in color and he wore two black gloves to cover his hands. Over his face a blue mask was tied, hiding his identity to all that saw him, or in this case, didn't see him.

Using the waving brush to disguise his movement he slipped up the hill to the prison and slid along the wall. The gate was closed and there was no other way in but up. Anyone would be insane to try and get over the pure metal wall which had no handholds to speak of.

They would have to count him as insane, then.

From his belt the figure pulled out a long black colored rope at the end which was a four pronged hook that was meant to catch onto any holds. The figure swung the rope several times, building up speed, before letting go. After several moments the hook came back down, having failed to catch.

Saying nothing the figure gathered up the rope and tried again. This time he swung it a few extra times to give it more force so that it could go farther. The second try the hook caught on the wall and held. Gripping the rope tightly the figure began the dangerous climb up the wall. If he was discovered and the rope cut wile he was even half way up it would be a sure death, and this time he would not have any Avatar nearby to slow the decent.

Thankfully he made it to the top undiscovered. Bundling up the rope he replaced it on his belt, not wanting it to be found and he to be discovered because of it.

Hearing the sound of feet approaching he slid easily back into the shadow of the wall behind him, which continued on up. Two guards rounded the corner. The shorter guard was a little on the chubby side and bit's of his beard could be seen peaking out from under the helmet. The other guard was tall and compact. Each stride was purposeful, unlike his partner who had a slight waddle to his step.

"You know, I hate this job," the shorter man said, "Nothing ever happens out here. I mean, look at that! Anything coming this way would immediately be spotted by the watch towers. Why do we need to be out here?" the small man whined.

The tall one was silent and unresponsive, but the figure in the shadows could tell by the slight shuffling of his feet that the man was bored and this was a common occurrence. Behind the mask the figure smiled. The little man wanted action? He would give him that.

Slipping silently behind the two he used the handle of his Dual Dao swords to knock them both out at the same time. The hit was hard enough to knock them out for a few hours, giving him just enough time to break the prisoners out. That and they would wake up with a killer headache, the figure smirked.

Just down from where the guards came was the door that lead inside the prison. He slipped silently through, his feet seeming to not even touch the ground as he ghosted through the empty halls. He came across the guards quarters and with deft fingers closed and locked the door from the outside, ensuring that even if he was discovered, those within the sleeping quarters would be unable to join the fight.

Farther down the hall he saw his first guard on the inside. The man looked like he had just come back from the wrong side of a fight. The guard froze as soon as he saw the crouching figure and reached for his horn.

The figure reacted swiftly, pulling a nondescript knife from his belt he sent it flying at the horn knocking it to the side. Involuntarily, his mind flashed back to a similar thing happening back when he rescued the Avatar.

The guard stared at his suddenly empty hand and moved to grab the sword that hung at his side. He was too late however, and the figure in black was already upon him, swinging his foot to the side of the guard's unprotected head. The foot hit solidly and the guard dropped like a rock.

Zuko, for that was who was under the mask, sighed.

_"__Seriously, what are they teaching the new recruits these days; how to catch dandelions?"_

He quickly grabbed the crumbled form of the guard and dragged him into a side room where he would not he found until he woke. Zuko then continued down the hall, checking around each corner this time so that he would not be spotted so easily.

He finally came to the levers that controlled when the cell doors opened and closed. These were guarded by four men who, by the looks of it, were bored out of their minds.

_"__Let's give them something to worry about, then."_

Zuko unhooked the homemade smoke bomb from his belt and rolled it under the guard's feet. A few seconds later the bomb exploded and the startled shouts of the guards had him just barely holding in his laughter. Really it was like an elaborate prank to him. Breaking in here was much easier than breaking in to rescue the Avatar.

As the first guard emerged from the smoke coughing Zuko downed him with a well aimed kick to the head. The second got the hilt of his sword, and the third fainted at the mere sight of him, which had Zuko razing his good eyebrow. What? Was his mask really that scary?

The fourth and last guard was the only one that had any common sense he had stayed by the levers to wait for whoever it was attacking him, but the Blue Spirit never gave up. Rolling through the last of the smoke he came up directly at the guard's feet and stood, causing the guard to stumble back over the railing and knock himself out on the ground bellow. Zuko gave a wince at the thought of how much that must have hurt.

Finally at his goal Zuko reached out and grasped the lever to open the prison gates. The lever would not budge. Growling he jerked harder. It was only his hard training with his crew before he became a refugee that saved him from a very nasty bruise to the head. He ducked the blade that was swung at him and spun around, facing the unexpected opponent.

He nearly faltered as he saw that his opponent was a woman. A very skilled woman if her solid stance told him anything. His eyes narrowed behind his mask. It was not often that the women were let out of the country to join the soldiers in the EarthKingdom, and those that did were those that could defend themselves.

The woman took a long look at him as they circled each other and chuckled, "The Blue Spirit, right? What an interesting mask. It looks similar to one used in carnivals on the cost. Maybe you're from there?" she mused out loud.

Zuko scowled behind his mask. She was stalling him! He didn't have time to play silly word games. As if she could sense his thoughts she chuckled and stepped back, her eyes glinting in mirth as she tucked her sword back into its sheath.

Zuko froze as he stared at her in confusion. What was she doing?

Seeing his slightly tilted head she shrugged, "I'm not technically supposed to be here, my watch isn't until later tonight. And anyway, if these weaklings are too fresh off the line that they can't remember to stay alert that's their problem." She smiled sweetly at him. "That and you've come all the way here without being detected, I want to see how far you can go without getting caught, though I must say you're reputation precedes you."

_"__Ah, of course you have your own agenda. Oh, well, more time for me."_

Zuko nodded in acknowledgment and turned back to the bars. Before he could reach out to unstuck the bar again she called out, "Oh, and just so you know, the captain thought it would be a clever idea to switch the levers around."

Zuko whipped around but she was already gone.

_"__She is as good as I am at hiding in the shadows," _he mused, turning back.

Taking her advice he grasped the handle on the opposite side and pulled. It slide down into place and the sudden ringing filled the prison as all of the cells were opened at once and the bewildered prisoners poked their heads out.

Zuko ducked his head away from the railing so that he would not be seen and slipped back down the hall, this time in search of the captain's quarters where he hoped to find something that might help him find his next target or maybe something on the location of his sister, though he doubted that he would find anything like that.

0~o~0

Tamara had always been the odd one in her family. She was the second daughter from one of the noble family's and as such it was unlikely that she should be anything other than the perfect little princess that her parents wanted, just like her older sister.

But Tamara had never liked the life of a noble. She had never liked the frilly dresses or the insults disguised as compliments compiled most of the high court talk. No, Tamara had never been like that. In fact, she refused to play the part that her parents wanted her too.

She was five when she first stole her older brother's blade and began to teach herself how to wield it, and seven when her friend gave her a new dagger. When her parents had found out they had been furious. It was her brother who had suggested that the navy might be able to straighten her out if she saw what real battle was like.

Needless to say, that didn't work out too well. Her papers got mixed up and she ended up enrolled in the army. Her first week of field training several of the other new recruits tried to tell her that she should just go home because girls weren't strong enough to be soldiers.

A month later when they were still in training she was the drill master.

It progressed until she ended up the second in command at one of the EarthKingdom prisons, where the captain was a fat, lazy man who put all of his work on her and never wrote good reports. The weeks and months went on and Tamara contemplated just going home. If this was how the army was going to treat her, as a sit around lackey that had no other use but to serve them, what was the point of staying?

Then news came about the break in at Pohuai Stronghold where the Avatar had been held.

They said that it seemed like the man had come out of nowhere, if it was even a man and not some spirit taking human form. They spoke of his twin blades that flashed blue, even though the flames around them were orange. They said that a mask covered his face, painted deep blue and white, and where his eyes should be were just two black holes. It was the smile, they said, that most unsettled them. Always grinning, always laughing at their efforts to stop the being.

These stories intrigued Tamara. She very much doubted that this 'Blue Spirit' was a spirit at all, but all the same; he seemed like someone she would like to meet.

She had ridden out to a nearby town soon after, disguised as an EarthKingdom peasant, where she heard even more whispers about the Blue Spirit. It turns out that he had been around for a very long time and only now had been brought to the Firenation's attention. He seemed to avoid the Firenation at every turn until the Avatar got clumsy and ended up caught.

Tamara had been delighted with these stories. She had always liked to hear tales of adventure and mystery, and that was exactly what these were. Tamara longed to meet this Blue Spirit, but know that it was unlikely. From what the tales said he mostly hit the coastal towns. Even Pohuai Stronghold had been near the water.

That is why when she saw a man wearing a full black suit trying to pull down the fake handle with all of the guards knocked out around him, she swung first. The figure was almost faster then she could follow. With a duck and a roll the man came back up it a crouch, two swords barred and at the ready for any sudden movements. The man was unnaturally silent on his feet. Even Tamara had never been able to silence the slight squeak of her feet on metal.

She had nearly frozen when she had seen the blue mask.

_"__He's here! He's really, really here! I can't believe he's here!"_

_" __. . . Why is he here?"_

Tamara didn't know why she did it, but she didn't attack. Instead she ran her eyes up and down his figure, trying to find a clue to who he was.

_"__Poor quality of cloths, they're from the EarthKingdom."_

_"__The mask is commonly used in Firenation festivals along the coast of the EarthKingdom."_

_"__His fighting stance is all wrong for an EarthKingdom__trained, though. It's almost a mixture between Firenation and something all his own."_

_"__. . . A Firenation colonist, maybe?"_

"The Blue Spirit, right? What an interesting mask. It looks similar to one used in carnivals on the cost. Maybe you're from there?" the words slipped out of her mouth before she had the time to consider them. The annoyance she felt rolling off of him in waves was really telling how much he thought of her trying to stop him. She let out a slight chuckle and sheathed her sword. If what they said about how good he was, and the evidence was plain with the guards all knocked unconscious around him baring no physical evidence that they had been in a fight, then she did not want to fight him.

Tamara decided to go for more of a taunting approach. Seeing his slightly tilted head she took it as a question and shrugged, "I'm not technically supposed to be here, my watch isn't until later tonight. And anyway, if these weaklings are too fresh off the line that they can't remember to stay alert that's their problem." She smiled sweetly at him. "That and you've come all the way here without being detected, I want to see how far you can go without getting caught, though I must say you're reputation precedes you."

He paused for just a fraction of a second and nodded to her. Tamara called back to him as he once again reached for the wrong handle, "Oh, and just so you know, the captain thought it would be a clever idea to switch the levers around."

She had slipped back into the corridor, not wanting to be anywhere near when the alarms started going off. Sure enough when she was approaching the sleeping quarters the alarm echoed through the hallways.

_"__Let's see how the captain gets out of explaining this one."_

A sudden flurry of banging distracted her and she looked toward the barracks door, only to chuckle and shake her head. A thin wire jabbed between the doorframe and the door had jammed the lock so that even if someone was on the outside it would still take some time to get it unstuck.

"Oh, you sly _Tiger-wolf._"

_"__What can I say? They are new recruits dealing with a professional that has been doing this for who knows how long. They had no chance."_

0~o~0

**_Father,_**

**_I have captured the Avatar and made sure that even if he does escape he will not make it far without someone there to heal him. He's alive, for now._**

**_You were right about Uncle. He was helping the Avatar and escaped with the Avatar's companions before we could catch him._**

**_There is still no sign of my treacherous brother. He seems to have separated from Uncle and we have lost his trail. We will continue the search, but Zuzu has never been good at surviving on his own, I doubt we will be looking for much more than his remains._**

**_Your loyal daughter_**

Zuko could only clutch the letter in his hand as he ran through the brush out side the prison. Fear swamped his heart. The note was one that would have been sent the next day by messenger hawk, and would have reached his father by the end of the month.

Even though there was no name he knew all too well who had written it.

_"__Azula."_

* * *

**Second chapter done. I'm kind of in need of ideas if you want this story to continue. I'd like to hear what you think. The next chapter should be done by the end of the week.**


	3. The Rescue - part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender**

**I Am the Blue Spirit**

_Previously:_

**_Father,_**

**_I have captured the Avatar and made sure that even if he does escape he will not make it far without someone there to heal him. He's alive, for now._**

**_You were right about Uncle. He was helping the Avatar and escaped with the Avatar's companions before we could catch him._**

**_There is still no sign of my treacherous brother. He seems to have separated from Uncle and we have lost his trail. We will continue the search, but Zuzu has never been good at surviving on his own, I doubt we will be looking for much more than his remains._**

**_Your loyal daughter_**

_Zuko could only clutch the letter in his hand as he ran through the brush out side the prison. Fear swamped his heart. The note was one that would have been sent the next day by messenger hawk, and would have reached his father by the end of the month. _

_Even though there was no name he knew all too well who had written it._

_"Azula."_

0~o~0

_"There is something in the wind,_

_I can taste it in the air,_

_A change is coming,_

_There is someone out there."_

_ \- Unknown_

**_Chapter 3_**

_The Rescue, part 1_

"Stupid, idiotic, irresponsible, reckless little . . . _Oh!_"

Zuko huffed as he ducked his head again, cursing under his breath. If that little Airbender hadn't gone and got himself captured, _again,_ then he would not even be in this position.

_"And _why_ does my sister need to bring _an entire army_ with her?"_

Zuko sighed and squeezed his eyes shut, counting in his head to calm himself down. He needed to get this right the first time. From his estimations the Avatar would be in the center of the camp, where he could see the small metal building. Zuko snorted; did his sister really think that a little metal would hold off the Avatar when he was angry? Than again, she had never seen the kid before, how would she know?

But that didn't making things any easier. He still had to sneak past all of the guards _and_ his sister before getting to the Avatar. After that it was only a matter of time before they were caught trying to sneak out. He knew from experience just how strange the Avatar could be.

". . . I mean, seriously, _frozen frogs?_"

Sighing Zuko prepared himself for sneaking in through the blind spot in the guard wall when he heard a yawn nearby. He froze, tilting his head to listen. This time he could make out the shuffling of feet as they rearranged themselves into a more comfortable position.

A small grin slid across Zuko's face under his mask. Maybe Lady Luck was with him after all.

0~o~0

The soldier shuffled into the camp with a large yawn, though it could not be seen through the faceplate. His armor was slightly too large for him, but that was normal for a new recruit like him. The other soldiers barely gave him a passing glance before turning back to their conversations, uncaring of the youngster heading to bed.

That was exactly what Zuko had been hoping for.

A man dressed in black and trying to hide would have been quickly spotted by one of the many men who were still up. Someone who acted like they were supposed to be there and not attempting to hide at all was quickly discarded, however. After all, what enemy was smart enough to acquire Fire Nation armor, sneak into a Fire Nation camp without acting out of place, and be dumb enough to do it while the princess was residing in said camp. Not any normal person could, that is for sure. Thankfully, Zuko was not just some normal person.

He had knocked out one of the drowsy guards that had been on watch and stripped him of his armor while dragging him behind a small group of trees where he would be easily hidden. The small ruse would not work for long, though, so Zuko knew that he had to be fast if he wanted to make it out without being seen, something that he very much doubted would happen with the Avatar's luck.

How many times had that kid been captured again? It was a miracle that no one had accidentally killed him yet.

As soon as Zuko had gotten past the main area he dropped his 'exhausted just got back from guard-duty' look and straightened his back. This area was less deserted, and he knew very well why. The large tent just around the corner belonged to his sister, Azula, and he had no doubt that she was keeping the Avatar as close to her as possible. She was not going to be taking any chances with letting him escape. After all, the Avatar had escaped from the once thought inescapable stronghold of Pohuai.

Of course, that had been his doing as well.

It was the smaller, closely guarded tent that caught Zuko's attention as he observed his surroundings. Four guards, more than Azula would let guard her, so that must be where they were keeping prisoners.

Or rather, one prisoner.

With a small grin Zuko slipped into the shadows. There fewer people around and with what he was about to do the armor would be more of a hindrance than a help. He slipped the mask and armor off expertly, having done it for most of his life. The dark, near black cloth underneath helped him blend into the darkness of the night. His face was wrapped with a long strip of black cloth that concealed his face. As a precaution he had placed a thin veil of cloth over his eyes that he could see through but that others could not, to help hide his obvious Fire Nation eye color.

After he was done Zuko turned back and examined his target again. The one entrance was not an option. He wanted to get in and out without being discovered, if possible, and taking out four guards would not help in that matter. That left only one thing, the one thing that most firebenders over looked when they were outside of their solid homes.

Cloth could be cut.

Zuko easily slipped through the shadows and up to the side of the tent. A small knife flicked into his hand and the sharpened edge cut through the fabric without a sound. The dark whole left behind gave him a shiver but he pushed it aside, hoping that it was nothing.

He slid through the small gap where he had cut and into the tent. A small fireball flickered to life over of his palm, shedding a soft glow over the inside of the tent.

What he saw made him sick.

The Avatar was buckled down to a wooden table with chains. This child looked nothing like the one that he had seen back in Northern Water Tribe. The boy was much more pale that a normal human being and his cloths were shredded and bloodied. His left arm was covered with deep cuts and what little Zuko could see of his chest was purple in color from recent bruising. Shallow breathing rose from his unconscious body.

Zuko knew that his sister was insane, but this just confirmed it. Her father would have approved.

Outside the warning horn was blown near the end of the camp as the guard that Zuko had knocked out was found.

There was an intruder in the camp.

**0~o~0**

**Well, it's been a long time since I have updated this story and to tell the truth I kind of lost it. I have been working on my other story more and this one kind of fell behind. It will continue to do that as I do not have a very solid storyline but I do not plan to abandon it. **

**This chapter is a bit short but I hope that you can excuse me for that, if I didn't post it now it would never get out there.**

**To all those who are sill following this even though it has been so long, thank you. You also might enjoy some of the other stories that I am working on that center around Zuko if you have not seen them yet.**

**I am not perfect so if you see anything that needs to be fixed please tell me. **

**Please review. **


	4. The Rescue - part 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own ****_Avatar: the Last Airbender._**

**I know that it has been a long time since I have posted on this story and I'm sorry, but my life is getting hectic and I'm not getting any younger. Its hard enough trying to post once a month, let alone getting to all of my stories with all of their different storylines ****_and_**** the many others that are badgering to be written. This got put on the backseat for a while but I'm going to try and post more often. **

**In the mean time, those who like this story should check out ****Dai Li's Account: Code Blue**** which details Zuko's adventures in Ba Sing Se as the Blue Spirit and how his actions there have effected the Dai Li. Another good thing about it is that it's actually ****_finished._**

**Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter, even if it is a bit late coming. **

**IMPORTANT: It seems that fanfiction is being difficult and not allowing this chapter to show up. If someone is able to read it, please tell me. **

**I Am the Blue Spirit**

**_Chapter 4_**

_The Rescue, part 2_

_One week previously . . . _

_Aang wiped some sweat from his head as he examined the land below him, worried and exhausted. What little sleep he'd had only made him crave more and there were times that he found himself almost falling asleep on his glider. _

_He couldn't stop, though. His friends were depending on him. They needed him to lure there pursuers away._

_When they had first met the three girls in Omashu he had assumed that they were working with Zuko, but they were so much worse than the crazy prince. Unlike the angry firebender they had become used to these new threats didn't give them any chance to rest or plan an escape. They were cunning, quick, and determined. While Zuko had plenty of determination, he didn't have the cold, calculating mind that these girls did. _

_To tell the truth, Aang was missing being chased by Zuko. At least he had a sense of honor and fare play, though he could only see that now after facing others from the Fire Nation. _

_A gust of wind hit Aang in the face, causing him to blink the dust from his eyes and focus of the road below him, coming back out of the daze that he had been in. Grey eyes looked around, seeing the world through a slightly distorted view due to how tired he was. _

_Distantly, an old town came into view and Aang blinked several times before it came into focus. "What is that?" he said softly as he glided over with a frown. _

_An entire town was just . . . abandoned? Left to rot? Why?_

_Aang tried to concentrate but his mind was not working as fast as it normally would and so he didn't ponder on it, deciding that it wasn't important at the moment. What was essential was that he find a place to face the crazy blue firebender and this looked as good as anything that he had passed so far. At least here he would have a little bit of cover. _

_Aang angled his glider so that it began to spiral downward until his feet landed gently on the ground and he twirled his staff to close it. _

_Now all he had to do was wait._

_Aang settled down to watch for the other's approach, sitting cross legged on the ground. For several minutes there was nothing and, knowing that it would most likely take a while for them to get to him, he began to doze off, only to jerk back awake at the distant roar of a mongoose lizard a few minutes later. _

_"What . . ." he shook himself awake and stood up, his eyes narrowing as he focused on his target. "Oh."_

_As she approached, Aang stood and squared his shoulders with a determined glint in his eyes. No matter what happened, this would end _today_. He and his friends couldn't take much more of the 'hit and run'. They were exhausted and about to collapse as it was._

_The firebender pulled her mount to a stop and elegantly descended, her boots grinding into the fallen clumps of Appa's fur as she turned to him, golden eyes watching him closely. _

_Aang pulled in a sharp breath as his eyes met hers and he saw the clear hint of insanity. He shook off the slight spike of fear, however, as he tried to steady his voice, "All right, you've caught up with me. Now, who are you and what do you want?" he asked. _

_"You mean you haven't guessed?" she said coldly, her face emotionless. Then she flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder, highlighting the gold in her eyes, "You don't see the family resemblance?"_

_Aang blinked in confusion. "Um . . ." _

_Was he supposed to recognize her?_

_"Here's a hint," she smirked and covered one eye, then deepened her voice mockingly, "I must find the Avatar to restore my honor!"_

_Aang shifted slightly, uncertain what she was getting at. She couldn't mean . . ._

_"It's okay, you can laugh. It's funny."_

_Maybe she escaped from a hospital for people sick in the head. It would explain her obsessive behavior in chasing them. Man, she was even worse than Zuko . . ._

_Wait. _

Zuko_. _

'You don't see the family resemblance?' _her voice echoed though his mind as his eyes widened._

_She can't be . . ._

_Aang pushed it out of his head angrily. Even if she _was_ of some relation to Zuko, that didn't matter. She was here, as was he. She was trying to capture him and Zuko was nowhere in sight so she was the one that he had to concentrate on._

_Except . . . she wasn't attacking, unlike when he was with his friends. _

_"So . . . what now?" he asked nervously, eyeing her suspiciously. Someone who was chasing him across half of the Earth_ _Kingdom had to have some hidden agenda._

_"Now?" in seconds her face transformed. The once slightly insane glint became harsher as she snarled, "Now, it's over. You're tired and you have no place to go. You can run, but I'll catch you."_

_Aang clutched his staff tighter, feeling exhaustion pulling him down. She was right. Sooner or later he was going to crash, make a mistake, and at that point he wouldn't be able to fight back when she found him. He clenched his jaw. "I'm not running."_

_She laughed. "Do you really want to fight me?"_

_Aang dropped into a defensive stance and growled, "I don't have a choice." _

_"Technically," she said stoically, "you can just surrender and we don't have to fight at all, but," she smirked, and dropped into her own fighting form, "I always _do _love a good fight."_

_Before Aang could decipher what she was saying a giant ball of blue fire was sent hurtling toward his face and gave a shout as he ducked and sent a burst of air at it, deflecting it just enough that he wouldn't be burned. His back hit the ground and he rolled away from his previous position, eyes going wide as he saw the blackened scorch mark left where he had been. _

_She was nothing like Zuko. At all. _

_Now that he thought about it, maybe running would be a better idea. Aang flicked his glider to open it and then jumped into the air, only to be forced back down a second later as another whip of fire came his way and he was forced to twirl his staff to neutralize it, losing momentum and height as he did so. Having had to turn his attention to the flames, he didn't notice the fast approaching ground until he hit the hard packed dirt, jarring his shoulder painfully and causing his staff to clatter out of his hand. _

_There was only a brief respite before Aang once again had to defend himself from an attack from above. The lady jumped down from the top of a rooftop - when had she gotten up there? - and landed with a half circle of fire sent spiraling his way from her sweeping left foot. He rolled onto his shoulder, gritting his teeth against the pain, and grabbed his glider before jumping into the air just in time to avoid the second blast. _

_Was she trying to kill him? Zhao hadn't been, and neither had Zuko, but this firebender didn't seem to have that reservation and that scared him. He knew what the two previously mentioned men's goals were in his capture, but she seemed to be defying them both. _

_If he was killed, the Avatar would just be reborn again (he would still be dead, though, and he didn't really _want _to die) which as Zhao pointed out, the Fire Nation didn't want. _

_So what had changed? _

_Another blast of fire had Aang scrambling backwards as she emerged from the blue flames with a smirk on her face. He glanced around at all the buildings that he had thought would be good cover in battle, only to realize that they were _all_ flammable. _

_Not a good combination when fighting a firebender bent on burning him to a crisp. _

_"Still running, Avatar?" the firebender called through the dancing flames as Aang once again retreated, having no choice but to jump into the upper level of a building. _

_Again, she followed him, using her fire to shoot herself upwards and landing on the window that he had just climbed through. Surprised Aang staggered back, his exhaustion catching up to him even with battle energy running through him. In his panic he didn't realize that the floor underneath him was no longer there and he went tumbling only to catch himself on the ledge. _

_That hold didn't last long as she sent a blast of fire at his hand and he had to let go, slowing his decent with airbending and rebounding off of one wall to get as far from her reach as he could, though it wouldn't matter much because she could bend. _

_In another world, in another time, there might have been something to distract the firebender from her goal, allowing Aang to escape. But here, now, there was no distraction. _

_A fire whip slashed through the air and in Aang's hurry to escape he didn't realize that there was a plank of wood still barely clinging to the wall. His head bashed into the wood, breaking it and sending him tumbling into the open with stars in his eyes. _

_The firebender didn't give him a chance. _

_Aang hit the ground and his eyes widened as he saw the massive wave of fire coming toward him. This time there was nowhere to escape too . . ._

0~o~0

Azula scowled as she examined the large map laid out before her. She had the Avatar in her grasp, too wounded to move and unable to escape. The only problem now was how to get him back to the Fire Nation without him dieing of his burns.

The Fire Nation had attacked the Air Nomads one hundred years ago for more than just the death of the Avatar. In fact, that was not even the real reason. At the time of the attack, it was calculated that the Avatar would be young, too young to have any advanced knowledge in the other elements, making it easier to capture him or her. Capture and study had been their first priority, but no Avatar had made themselves known and the airbenders suffered for it.

Finding a way to permanently rid the world of the Avatar was the only way that the Fire Nation would be able to keep their power over the rest of the world. The Avatar's escape, however, had created a century long hunt that had consumed her family for generations.

Not anymore.

Azula's scowl twisted into an insane smirk. _She _had done what her family had failed to do for years. _She _had succeeded where her brother had fallen. _She_ was the one who would make their father proud.

Hopefully the letter that she had sent reached the Fire Lord soon. Her small encampment (by Fire Nation standards) would not hold back a large Earth Kingdom army for long, though it wouldn't be without casualties. She couldn't risk the Avatar falling back into enemy hands, however, and needed as many reinforcements as she could get.

And unlike Zuko, Father would give them to her.

She was shaken out of her contemplations when the warning bells began to echo throughout the camp, making her look up with a frown.

"What is going on now?" she snapped at the single guard standing just outside of her command tent.

The guard shook slightly as he replied, "I don't know, Princess. W-would you like me to go check?"

Azula's eyes narrowed. "I am surrounded by simpletons," she grumbled and stood, striding toward the entrance, "Never mind, I'll see to it myself."

She doubted that the Earth Kingdom had found them yet, so it had to be something else.

What that was, however, she _would_ find out . . . and then _burn _it.

0~o~0

Zuko cursed as the bell tolled, rewriting his escape plan in his mind. Within the next several minutes this tent would be surrounded to protect their prisoner from rescue, which would make it impossible for him to escape. The rip in the tent was bound to be noticed with so many people looking. He had to get out of there _now_.

Why couldn't his 'rescue the Avatar' missions ever work?

He made quick work of the chains, making sure not to jostle the manacles that were digging into the kid's soft flesh. He would deal with that after he got them both out of there; if he did so now, the open wounds underneath could become infected and he didn't have anything to treat infection.

Worryingly, the boy didn't even stir. He had to have been in incredible pain, and moving him should have shocked him awake. The fact that he showed no reaction did not bode well.

If it came down to a fight, he would be on his own.

As soon as the bindings were removed Zuko slid his arms under the Avatar, lifting him from the wooden slab that he had been tied to and wincing as the kid's head rolled over onto his shoulder. Blood seeped from a cut across the boy's head and he wondered if Azula had been aiming to capture . . . or if it had only been lucky that Aang was still alive.

He wouldn't put it past her to have tried to kill the boy.

A quick peek outside of the tent revealed chaos. Soldiers were running everywhere; fires had been lit and heightened to cast away any shadows where someone could hide. Out front of the tent the original four guards had doubled and appeared to be in the process of searching the area around it.

In other words: he was so done for.

Sucking in a breath and mapping out the area in his head Zuko dashed out from within the tent and down a not so chaotic row of tents. Running would get him spotted, but staying in that tent would lead to being cornered; he would rather take his chances in the open air. Predictably, there were shouts of surprise and anger that followed him, as well as balls of fire, though thankfully none of them were _blue._ Azula must have already left the area to look for the disturbance.

He needed to find a defensible position, preferably _outside of the camp_, and fast. There were almost a hundred firebenders crawling around this place and nearly twice that number of non-benders. He knew that it wasn't the best situation, but it wasn't the worst that he had been in.

Ducking behind another tent to avoid a fire dagger Zuko quickly considered his options. There was still at least thirty yards to the outside border of the camp, with half of the camp between him and the escape. There were even worse odds behind him.

In conclusion, he had to fight his way out, but that didn't mean he couldn't be sneaky about it.

Zuko winced at the thought of fighting his own people but pushed it away. Right now, getting the Avatar and himself out safely, preferably all in one piece, was his top priority.

Finding a secluded spot and waiting for his chasers to pass Zuko quickly enacted his plan. Setting the Avatar down carefully as to not jostle him Zuko settled into light meditation and breathed in, centering himself and reaching out to the _heat _and _fire _around him, drawing on his Uncle's teachings. In his mind he could see the hundreds of pinpricks of warmth, the largest being firebenders, and the smaller the actual fire they were producing.

Breathe in.

_Flare_.

Breathe out.

_Extinguish. _

All around the camp the small and large fires that had been used to illuminate the way went out suddenly, plunging the camp into instant darkness. Almost before the last light had gone out, there were several cries of panic and confusion.

"What happened?"

"Where did the fire go?"

Twin blades were pulled from their sheaths silently as he breathed in again, this time centering on his own Inner Fire. His senses sharpened and his eyes snapped open as he heard a group stumbling next to where he was hidden in the darkness. Without pause Zuko slipped out among them and silently knocked them out one or two at a time.

He had to hurry. Already he could feel new fires being restarted by the firebenders in the camp. This group didn't seem to have a firebender in it, which was lucky.

Dashing back to the Avatar, Zuko put his swords away and picked him up, already planning his rout to the next 'checkpoint'. There, he would again wait and take out anyone in his chosen path while putting out the fires again.

He made it a dozen yards before being stopped again and having to fight. This time the group that he ran into had two firebenders with them, and they made liberal use of their flames. Trained though they were, however, he was better. As a crown prince he was expected to be above and beyond all other firebenders, which mean knowing how to take them out, and his trainers hadn't been lenient with him. Good news for him, bad news for them. He may not be up to Azula's standards, but that didn't mean he was awful.

Again, he paused to put out all lights before he dashed off into the sea of tents. He dodged a group here, a firebender there, and eventually made it within sight of the edge of camp. Zuko sighed in relief. Maybe he would make it after all.

Ten yards to go and Zuko was wondering why he hadn't encountered anyone in the last several meters.

Five yards and he froze, staring at the lone figure standing casually between him and the forest. Fire Nation red and black highlighted her slim yet fit figure as she tilted her head and put one hand on her hip.

"Well, well, well," she said softly, golden eyes darkening ever so slightly in anticipation, "Isn't it my lucky day. The Avatar _and_ the Blue Spirit. ZuZu would be jealous."

Zuko stiffened and slowly set the Avatar on the ground as the area around them came alive with people, firebenders and non-benders alike, blocking his path back into camp. Already he could see fire just barely restrained from raging out of control flickering to life.

He had known that there was a possibility that she would be there, but he had hoped that he wouldn't run into her.

It was just his luck, really. He hadn't seen her in almost two months, before that it had been three years, and now here they were standing on opposite sides of the battlefield. She didn't even know that it was him.

Of course, it wouldn't matter either way. Azula would be just as delighted to kill her brother as she would be to kill the Blue Spirit.

_"Princess,"_ he rumbled, his voice scratchy from disuse and his hand reaching toward his swords. Already his muscles were tensing in anticipation for the fight ahead of him, and his mouth smoothed into a thin line, _"How . . . Unexpected."_

Hopefully he - and the Avatar, of course - came out of this alive.

**0~o~0**

**Well, there you have it. Another chapter completed and another cliffhanger. The next chapter will be the fight between Azula and Zuko. Hopefully you liked it!**

**Review?**

**(Updated: 7/25/16)**


End file.
